Friday, August 1, 2014

Mastering the Cook's Basics

During my time at home, I took full advantage of my mom's big beautiful kitchen to try my hand at two of the "Cook's Basics" that we learned during our time at The Cook's Atelier. Bonus points for crossing a fruit tart off my summer bucket list!

First up - the Burgundian specialty gougères. Light, cheesy puffs of air that are traditionally served as an apèro with a cold glass of bubbly!

We paired ours with 2011 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs. As you may know I'm not the biggest sparkling wine fan, but this was delicious. Cold, crisp, dry, yet fruity, it was a perfect start to the night. It's made of chardonnay grapes so maybe it's no surprise I enjoyed it so much :-) Another fun fact, the Blanc de Blancs was the first wine produced by Schramsberg in 1965.

For dessert, I made the Cook's mixed berry tart with fresh vanilla pastry cream. I haven't had much experience with pies or pie dough but this could not have been easier. Fresh berries from the farmer's market needed nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar to enhance their already delectable sweetness.

So proud!

If you want to seriously impress your guests at your next dinner party I highly recommend either of these recipes, or both!